Silver Lining
by Scyler
Summary: Several years have passed since Voldemort was defeated and Harry and his friends have found their places in the wizarding world. He and Ron have become Aurors and are partnered together. On one of their routine Dark artifact checks something goes wrong. Harry ends up missing, later presumed to be dead. Then, almost a year later, a familiar face rises to the surface.


**Me: Hey guys. Just so you know this is my first Harry Potter story. Please be nice to it. It has been running around in my head for a while and I finally just decided to write it. That's actually what happens with most all of my stories. :D Anyway, enjoy! Please R&R!**

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Stepping off of a plane for the first time can be a bit disorienting, no matter who you are. The Malfoy family is no exception. As Narcissa and Draco Malfoy stumbled off the gangway they got several odd looks from the people around them. Even so they managed to get back some of their dignity by straightening up quickly and all but gliding of to the side to wait for their redheaded companion. Ron Weasely stepped off the plane with far more skill/grace then the two purebloods but chose not to say anything. Instead he turned and lead them toward the baggage claim area. Draco bit his lip as the redheaded Auror walked away. Glancing over at his mother he found that she had on one of her stern but emotionless faces. Sighing he simply hoisted the large messenger bag that had been forced into his hands before boarding higher on his shoulder.

"What exactly are we looking for, Weasel?" the blond asked when they had caught up to the redhead.

"First off, Malfoy, we are looking for out bags. Then we need to look for someone by the name of "Grayson". He's supposed to be our host/guide." Ron replied ignoring the "weasel" comment.

"Hmph. I just hope you know that I don't intend to actually carry a suit case. This thing is ridiculous enough." Draco said shifting the messenger bag again.

Ron just rolled his eyes and ignored the slightly irate pureblood. Glancing over at Narcissa he found that the blond woman was trying and succeeding in hiding a small amount of amusement at her son. Rolling his eyes the redhead simply reached out and grabbed three different suitcases as they passed by. One was rather large, decked out in black and silver. Another was mid-sized and of the same style as the first but was silver and green. The final suitcase was more like a trunk; big, hulking and brown. It had several stickers plastered all over it. Several of those stickers were actually the Hogwarts crest and the Griffindor crest. Even to the casual observer it was clear which suitcase belonged to who. Ron pushed the two Malfoys' suitcases towards them but both just ignored them and started waking away. Growling softly the Auror grabbed the cases and followed them.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Narcissa asked, speaking for the first time since they stepped off the plane.

"We should be looking for a man with blond hair, possibly in a suit and tie." Ron replied forcing his voice to sound calm even though he was struggling a bit with the weight of three suitcases.

"Like that man over there?" Draco asked pointing with one hand to a blond man in a suit and tie who was waving like an idiot at them.

"Yeah, him." Ron mumbled and the trio headed toward the waving man.

When he finally realized that they knew where he was the blond stopped waving. After a few moments the trio arrived at where the blond was standing. He just smiled at them before asking them to follow him. Ron, Narcissa, and Draco looked at each other, a little worried. They followed him without comment, at least until they were outside. Once the doors closed behind them the blond whirled around, a huge slime on his face.

"Hello, Lady Narcissa Malfoy, Mister Draco Malfoy, and Mister Ronald Weasely. It is very nice to meet you. I'm Jimmy Mortimer, Mr. Grayson's personal assistant." the blond, Jimmy, began holding out his hand to them.

"Hold on, I thought we were supposed to meet Mr. Grayson himself. At least that's what I was told would happen." Ron said sitting on the top of his trunk.

"Yes, well, Mr. Grayson is a busy man and he had a lot of things to do today. Mostly Ministry paperwork but he had other things to do as well. Now, if you don't mind, please step this way." Jimmy smiled directing them towards a sleek black vehicle.

Reluctantly the two wizards and the witch headed for the car. A tall man stepped out of the driver's side door and walked to the back of the car where he proceeded to pop the trunk. Ron handed over the suitcases as Draco dropped the messenger bag inside. Once the cases were all situated the driver stepped around and opened one of the passenger doors. Both Mayfoys slide easily into the back seat, followed by Ron and then Jimmy. Settling into the back seat Jimmy directed the driver to head to Grayson Estate. That made all three of the others look at each other. Regardless of what Jimmy said though they still had to go with him. Speaking of the blond he just sat in front of them and smiled.

"This should only take a few minutes. Hope you don't mind." he said still smiling.

Ron just shook his head before smiling back, "That's fine. It's not like we really have anything better to do anyway."

Jimmy just continued to smile at them for a few more seconds before he turned and looked out the window. Ron glanced over at the Malfoys and found them looking at him as well. Shrugging slightly he turned to the window.

-Time Skip: 30 min-

By the time they finally arrived at the Estate Jimmy had been thoroughly questioned by both Ron and Draco. It was quite clear that the man took his job very seriously even as his demeanor suggested otherwise. The questions finally stopped when the car did. Jimmy smiled and pointed out the window. For a few seconds the Malfoys and Ron just stared at him. Then the car started moving again. The sudden start of motion prompted all of the passengers to look out the windows. Ron felt his eyes widen to the size of saucers when they finally saw the house. It was massive; just around the same size as Malfoy Manor. The Manor was a big house so to be able to compare the size of Grayson Estate to Malfoy Manor was a bit of a shock. Glancing over at the Malfoys the redhead saw the same thoughts flickering behind mostly impassive masks. Turning back to the window Ron jerked back when something flashed past the window. Jimmy laughed and Ron glared at him.

"Relax. That was just one of the phoenixes. There are about a grand total of four or five on the property. All are here of their own free will, of course. They can leave when ever they want." he said crossing his legs and smiling at the stunned redhead.

"How can that be? I thought phoenixes bonded to whomever they lived with." Draco said finally turning away from the window.

"Easy. Only one magical creature can bond with a wizard or witch. Mr. Grayson already has a bonded magical animal." Jimmy replied waving his hand dismissively as the car slid to a stop. "Shall we go and meet him now?"

The three British magic users look at each other before nodding at the blond. Smiling brightly the blond slid out of the car and headed for the stairs leading to the front doors. Ron slid out next, followed by Narcissa and finally Draco. As the four started walking up the stairs Ron glanced briefly over his shoulder to see the driver hauling their stuff out of the trunk of the car and passing it all to several house elves. Looking back up he saw a very much human man standing at the front doors, holding them open while bowing to the guests. When they walked in the first thing to hit them was the smell of something cooking. Of course Ron was the first to speak up since it involved food.

"What's that amazing smell? Is it what we're having for dinner?" he asked eyes lighting up at the prospect of food.

"No. That would be Mr. Grayson baking something in his personal kitchen. Come on." Jimmy said heading for the stairs as he did.

"I thought that he was somewhat of a Lord. Why would he need to cook anything for himself?" Draco asked as they ascended the stairs.

Jimmy laughed before looking at Draco, "He enjoys it. In truth he only cooks himself if he's feeling particularly creative or bored. It's mostly the house elves and the human staff that does that kind of thing."

That statement almost caused the blond to trip over his own feet. They had humans working alongside house elves? Who was crazy enough to do that? Looking up again he amended that statement when he saw a house elf and a human maid cleaning some furniture on a landing they passed. Apparently this "Mr. Grayson" was crazy enough to do just that. Eventually, though, he actually found himself distracted by the amazing smell coming from just ahead of them. Jimmy smiled and pushed the door open without so much as a knock.

"Welcome to Mr. Grayson's private kitchen." he said proudly waving a hand to show them in first.

Narcissa stepped in first and promptly stopped in her tracks. Her son and their Auror escort followed shortly behind her and stopped as well. There, standing in the middle of the kitchen in socks, a pair of blue jeans, and an over sized sweatshirt, was a blond man they assumed to be "Mr. Grayson". Jimmy walked into the room and gently tapped the other blond on the shoulder. Turning the man pulled a set of head phones out of his ears, giving Jimmy a slightly quizzical look. Smiling the suited man pointed over at the Malfoys and Ron. Turning all the way around Mr. Grayson smiled at his guests. Walking tithe counter he gently set the bowl he was mixing down before walking over to the trio in the doorway.

"Hello. My name is Jared Grayson. Welcome to my home." he said holding out his hand, a soft smile on his face.


End file.
